"A River Runs Through It" A masterpiece created by a fateful encounter between Robert Redford and Brad Pitt

The story of a lost family

The novel is a story in which the main character, MacLean, who is now an old man, quietly looks back on his family's memories. Taking advantage of the setting of the novel, the movie version also shows an elderly MacLean fishing in a river at the beginning and end of the story. In other words, what is depicted here is the recollection of an old man.

The beginning and end of the original story, which Redford fell in love with, are as follows.

“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.” (“ The Rivers of MacLean ”, published by Shueisha) (Translated by Toshio Watanabe) Also, the final conclusion is - ``I am still haunted by waters'' (from the same book)

Redford himself narrates the film. Many words from the original work are used, but although it is simple, it is a beautiful sentence with a rhythm, and I can understand why you can't help but want to read it aloud. ).

Although the novel is autobiographical to MacLean, Redford decided to make it into a film because he felt that the story depicted in the novel overlapped with his own upbringing. It can be said that it is a story looking back on his life.)

The title, A River Runs Through It, appears at the ending of both the original and the movie. An old man who fishes in his hometown's river has experienced the death of loved ones several times, and finds something like the soul of the natural world in the flow of the river.

“Eventually, all things merge into one ultimate being, and a river flows through that one being.” ,and a river runs through it)” (from the aforementioned translated book)

By persevering through the perspective of an adult who has a thorough understanding of the flow of the river, the story is given a philosophical depth.

"A River Runs Through It" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

In the film, the father, played by Tom Skerritt, is a Presbyterian minister who instills in his two sons, older brother Norman (Craig Shafer) and younger brother Paul (Brad Pitt), The Truth of life and the joy of fishing. After growing up, the older brother went to a university in the East and eventually became a literature professor, while the younger went to a local university and became The Journalist. The younger brother, who likes to fight, shows a genius in fly fishing, but in real life he gradually steps into a dangerous world and meets a tragic end.

Even after the tragedy occurs, the story is depicted in a calm manner, which is part of the charm of this movie. Because it's an old man's reminiscences, he was able to draw it from a slightly more withdrawn perspective.

The image of his younger brother Paul, played by Brad Pitt, is etched in his mind as a presence that will shine forever. Paul's existence shines even brighter because he is able to live his life in the blink of an eye. The older brother loved his younger brother, but in the end he was unable to save him. And time passes.

“Now nearly all the people I loved and tried to understand when I was younger and couldn’t understand them are beyond the pale; those I loved and did not understand when I was young are dead ,but I still reach out to them” (from the Japanese translation)

The setting of the meek older brother and the more outrageous younger brother depicted in this work is reminiscent of the ``Cain and Abel'' story, which is also cited in James Dean's ` `East of Eden '' (55). Also, the theme of the bond between father and son was something director Redford was concerned about, and in the film, the eldest son and father communicate through Wordsworth's poems. Ordinary People depicted the conflict between Donald Sutherland and Timothy Hutton, and Ralph Fiennes and Paul Scofield from Quiz Show (1994).

In this work, veteran actor Tom Skerritt (` `M★A★S★H '' (1970), `` Top Gun '' (1986)) gives a bitter performance as the father who watches over the brothers. For Craig Schaefer, who plays the older brother, this film is the highlight of his career. The older brother's childhood is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has been active as an actor since `` (500) Days of Summer '' (2009). The director's sense is also evident in the supporting cast, including Emily Lloyd (``Linda'' (1987)) who plays the brother's fiancee Jesse, and Brenda Blethyn (`` Secrets and Lies '' (1996)) who plays the brothers' mother. Shine.

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